Ore-roasting furnace.



No. 69|,||2. .Patented lan. 14, |902. J. P. CAPPEAU.

URE ROASTING FURNACE.

(Application led Apr. 20, 1901.1

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'ma Model.)

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nu. 69|,||2. l

J. P. CAPPEAU.

DRE ROASTING FURNACE.

(Application filed Apr. 20, 1901.1 (No Model.)

UNITED STATES EEICE.

PATENT ORE-ROASTING FURNCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,112, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed April 20, 1901. Serial N0- 5617041 (No model.)

.such as are provided with means for mechanically stirring and advancing the ore.

My invention has for one of its objects the provision of a furnace of this character whereby the heat may be brought evenly into contact with the ore to be treated; vand my invention comprises means whereby air may be admitted to the hearth of the furnace substantially in alinement with that portion thereof in which the greatest amount of heat is concentrated. y

A further object of my invention may -be found in the provision of means whereby the passage of air into the hearth may be variably controlled, so as to regulate the combustion and the temperature in the furnace through its entire length; and my invention therefore comprises a series of gates or similar devices disposed longitudinally of said furnace and independently adjustable to vary the admission of air into the furnace to any desired amount.

A further object of my 'invention is to construct a roasting-furnace in vsuch a manner that the operating mechanism whereby the ore in the hearth is stirred or turned over during the process of roasting may be disposed externally of the furnace structure, so that free access may be had thereto.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with furnaces in which mechanicallyoperated stirrers of any of the well-known kinds are employed. Such furnaces are provided with longitudinal slots for the passage of the stirrer-arms, and I employ this slotted opening as a means for conducting air into the interior of the hearth.

.Forthis reason this openingis provided with gates of such a character that during the progress of the stirrer mechanism through said slotted opening the gates will be consecutivelyopened to permit the passage of the stirrer mechanism, while as soon as the stirrers have passed each gate will immediately return to its normal position.

In carrying out my invention I deem it essential that the air should have free access to the hearth subject to the control of the gatesand for this reason a furnace built in accordance with my invention will have practically an unconflned air-space beneath the licor thereof, the furnace structure in its entirety being supported on suitable standards or posts of suiiicient height to permit the free movement of the air. When so constructed, ready access to the stirrer-operating mechanism is provided, and this mechanism will also be removed from the heat of the furnace.

In an ore-roasting furnace the ore is subjected to the heat when in a more or less pulverized condition, and in order to obtain the best results as to the output of the furnace the supply of heat and of oxygen should be properly regulated. Asordinarilyconstructed the roof of the hearth of the furnace is highest near the longitudinal center of the furnace, and at this point a greater degree of heat is obtained than at the sides, and therefore the desulfurization of the ore will be more or less uneven. In order to treat the ore in a more even manner, I place the slotted opening in the iioor of the hearth near that part where the greatest heat is concentrated, and I employ in connection therewith a series of adjustable gates or other devices for closing said slot to any desired extent at any point i along the hearth, and thus regulate the admission of air through said slot into the hearth. My invention should be interpreted broadly as a series of adjustable gates for variably controlling the ingress of air into the hearth through the longitudinal slot at different points in the length of the furnace and irrespective of the relative location of said slot in the hearth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a furnace built in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial top view thereof broken away to show the interior. Fig. 3 is a side view of myimproved furnace. Fig. sshows a verticalcrosssection thereof. Fig. 5 illustrates in detail IOO the manner of adjusting the air-controlling gates, and Fig. 6 shows a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 5.

In the accompanying drawings my improved furnace is shown as comprising a hearth (designatedby A) having a ioor 10, the side Walls 1l, and the roof 12. In vthe preferred form thereof shown the floor 10 is provided with a longitudinally-disposed slot 13, arranged near the center of said floor, so that air may be admitted to the vinterior of the hearth at that point where the greatest amount of heat is concentrated, and at the same time I make use of this slot 13 to permit the passage of the rabble or stirrer-operating mechanism, which in the present instance isshown as comprising suitable rabble-arms 14, mounted on and disposed at both sides of a arm 15, which is adapted to pass lengthwise of the slot 13 and is secured at its lower end to a truck or carriage 160. I support the hearth in its entirety in such a manner that beneath the Hoor thereof a sufficient amount of room may be had not only to afford access to the stirrer-operating mechanism, but, furthermore, in order to obtain an unconfined airr space from which air may be admitted into the hearth A through the slot 13 to any required amount'.

The furnace-body is supported by and rests on a series ofI-beams 16, disposed at opposite sides of the slot 13 and extending laterally therefrom, while said I-beams may in their turn be supported by longitudinallydisposed beams 17, resting upon standards 18, while the outer ends of said beams 16 are carried by posts 19, which are adjacent to and united to uprights 20, which in the present instance extend beyond the top of the furnace and have their upper ends held in proper position-as, for instance, by tie-rods 21. In this manner the side walls 11 are greatly strengthened and enabled to resist the strain brought to bear upon them by the arched roof 12. The uprights 2O and the posts 19 and 18 may rest upon foundations or supportingplates 22 and be held in place thereon-as, for instance, by brackets 23.

Uniting each pair of posts 18 is a beam 24, which may be held in place on said postsas, for instance, by brackets 25-and which serves as a support for a pair of rails 26, upon which the carriage or truck 160 will be guided during its traveling movement, the carriage being preferably drawn along by a chain or cable 27, secured to the arm l5 in any suitlar object of my invention to provide means whereby air may be admitted to the hearth of the furnace in required quantities, these means being adapted for regulation and consisting in the present instance of a series of gates 30, each of which is adjustable and movable independently of the others. The gates are herein shownl as being pivoted on a rod 31, carried in brackets 32, which may be secured to theinner ends of the beams 16, and each of said gates has an extension 33, adapted to engage one end of a screw-threaded rod 34, mounted for longitudinal movement in a bracket 35, secu red to the fu rnace-floor, while at its outer end each of said rods may have a hand-wheel whereby said rod may be turned to adjust each individual gate for admitting air through the slot 13 to any desired amount. The arm 15 of the stirrer mechanism may be provided with a suit able cam-piece 37, which during its movement will successively engage the gates 30 and throw the same sidewise in order to permit the arm 15 to pass them. As soon as said arm has passed beyond one of said gates said gate will immediately return to its normal or adjusted position. The

amount of air required for the proper combustion of the fuel admitted at the side of the furnace through pipes 45 varies considerably, less being generally required at the ends of the furnace and more at the center, and the gates may be adjusted to suit these requirements and to conform to the nature of the ore to be roasted. In Fig. 5 three positions of the gates are shown, and in Fig. 2 the gates 30 are also shown in various positions, while opposite the rabble-arm 15 two adjacent gates are shown open to permit the passage thereof.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modification of the gate-adjusting device, the gate 30 having in this instance an extension 38, on which a slide 39 may be properly positioned and held-as, for instance, by a bolt 40. In the latter case it is evident that in order to make a proper adjustment of the gate 30 it will be necessary to go beneath the iioor of the furnace, while when the construction first described is used the adjustment of said gates may be made when standing at the side of the furnace.

It is obvious that changes maybe made in the particular construction and organization of the various parts of my improved roastingfurnace and without departing from the gist of my invention, and therefore it should be understood that I do not confine myself to the particular construction of either the gates or to the manner of adjusting the same as above described, as these modificationsare obviously within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A roasting-furnace comprising a hearth supported on standards to permit free circu- IOO IIO

lation of air beneath the floor of said hearth, an opening in said oor for permitting the passage of air into the hearth, and adjustable means for controlling the passage of air through said opening. f

2. The combination, with a roasting-furnace comprising a hearth having an unconned air-space beneath the ioor thereof, and

Van opening in said ioor; of a plurality of gates and for controlling the passage of air through said slot.

4. The combination, With an ore-roasting furnace, comprising a hearth having a longitudinally-disposed slot in the floor thereo for admitting air to said hearth; of a rake for stirring and advancing the ore; a carrier disposed externally of said hearth and connected With said rake; a series of gates in said slot; and adjustable means for controlling the passage of air through said slot into the hearth, and mounted to give Way to the rake-operating device during its travel from end to end of the furnace.

.JOSEPH P. CAPPEAU.

Vitnesses:

JOHN E. WALKER, G. H. D. FosTER. 

